1 Samuel 17:45-47

17:45 But David replied to the Philistine, “You are coming against me with sword and spear and javelin. But I am coming against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel’s armies, whom you have defied! 17:46 This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand! I will strike you down and cut off your head. This day I will give the corpses of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land. Then all the land will realize that Israel has a God 17:47 and all this assembly will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves! For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will deliver you into our hand.”

1 Samuel 17:1

David Kills Goliath

17:1 ¹ The Philistines gathered their troops ²  for battle. They assembled at Socoh in Judah. They camped in Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah.

1 Samuel 18:1

Saul Comes to Fear David

18:1 When David ³  had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan and David became bound together in close friendship. ⁴  Jonathan loved David as much as he did his own life. ⁵ 

1 Samuel 18:1-2

Saul Comes to Fear David

18:1 When David ⁶  had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan and David became bound together in close friendship. ⁷  Jonathan loved David as much as he did his own life. ⁸  18:2 Saul retained David ⁹  on that day and did not allow him to return to his father’s house.

1 Samuel 19:19

19:19 It was reported to Saul saying, “David is at Naioth in Ramah.”

Psalms 58:11

58:11 Then ¹⁰  observers ¹¹  will say,

“Yes indeed, the godly are rewarded! ¹² 

Yes indeed, there is a God who judges ¹³  in the earth!”

Psalms 83:18

83:18 Then they will know ¹⁴  that you alone are the Lord, ¹⁵ 

the sovereign king ¹⁶  over all the earth.

[17:1]  ¹ tc The content of 1 Sam 17–18, which includes the David and Goliath story, differs considerably in the LXX as compared to the MT, suggesting that this story circulated in ancient times in more than one form. The LXX for chs. 17–18 is much shorter than the MT, lacking almost half of the material (39 of a total of 88 verses). Many scholars (e.g., McCarter, Klein) think that the shorter text of the LXX is preferable to the MT, which in their view has been expanded by incorporation of later material. Other scholars (e.g., Wellhausen, Driver) conclude that the shorter Greek text (or the Hebrew text that underlies it) reflects an attempt to harmonize certain alleged inconsistencies that appear in the longer version of the story. Given the translation characteristics of the LXX elsewhere in this section, it does not seem likely that these differences are due to deliberate omission of these verses on the part of the translator. It seems more likely that the Greek translator has faithfully rendered here a Hebrew text that itself was much shorter than the MT in these chapters. Whether or not the shorter text represented by the LXX is to be preferred over the MT in 1 Sam 17–18 is a matter over which textual scholars are divided. For a helpful discussion of the major textual issues in this unit see D. Barthélemy, D. W. Gooding, J. Lust, and E. Tov, The Story of David and Goliath (OBO). Overall it seems preferable to stay with the MT, at least for the most part. However, the major textual differences between the LXX and the MT will be mentioned in the notes that accompany the translation so that the reader may be alert to the major problem passages.

[17:1]  ² tn Heb “camps.”

[18:1]  ³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “the soul of Jonathan was bound with the soul of David.”

[18:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “like his [own] soul.”

[18:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “the soul of Jonathan was bound with the soul of David.”

[18:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “like his [own] soul.”

[18:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[58:11]  ¹⁰ tn Following the imperfects of v. 10, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive probably indicates a result or consequence of what precedes.

[58:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “man.” The singular is representative here.

[58:11]  ¹² tn Heb “surely [there] is fruit for the godly.”

[58:11]  ¹³ tn The plural participle is unusual here if the preceding אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a plural of majesty, referring to the one true God. Occasionally the plural of majesty does take a plural attributive (see GKC 428-29 §132.h). It is possible that the final mem (ם) on the participle is enclitic, and that it was later misunderstood as a plural ending. Another option is to translate, “Yes indeed, there are gods who judge in the earth.” In this case, the statement reflects the polytheistic mindset of pagan observers who, despite their theological ignorance, nevertheless recognize divine retribution when they see it.

[83:18]  ¹⁴ tn After the preceding jussives (v. 17), the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose (“so that they may know”) or result.

[83:18]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “that you, your name [is] the Lord, you alone.”

[83:18]  ¹⁶ tn Traditionally “the Most High.”